Conditions of the Hand and Wrist

Trigger Finger/Thumb Treatment & Surgery

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Steroid injection

Surgery

Trigger Finger & Trigger Thumb

Trigger Finger and Trigger Thumb is a condition in which one of your fingers gets stuck in a bent position. It occurs when inflammation narrows the space within the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger. Thus, it is unable to slide through the tunnel created by the overlying tissues as smoothly as it usually does. Therefore the finger gets stuck in a bent position and may click or lock. It may even straighten with a snap — like a trigger being pulled and released.

Symptoms

Finger/Thumb stiffness, particularly in the morning

A popping or clicking sensation as you move your finger

Tenderness or a bump (nodule) in the palm at the base of the affected finger

Finger catching or locking in a bent position, which suddenly pops straight

Finger locked in a bent position, which you are unable to straighten

Conservative treatments can be implemented in minor or early cases. This may include rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, splints and sometimes a cortisone injection.

Depending on the severity of your symptoms and if a surgery is needed, it involves a release of the tendon. This means the tissues over the top of the tendon, which form a tunnel through which the tendon passes, are cut to allow the tendon to move more freely. This is done under local anasthesia which will numb the whole hand.

Do seek Dr Siow’s professional advice if you are experiencing Trigger Finger.